Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Here is a close up of my empty hammock. In the background you can barely see the creek. Notice the hummingbird feeder in the upper right. How lovely it is to doze in the hammock and hear the whirr of hummingbird wings. They love fuchsias so I'll hang one there this summer.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

When trimming some bushes, I thought it a shame to discard all the pretty clippings. But in looking for a vase I couldn't find one the right size, so I took a can out of the recycling bin. Now I can enjoy this arrangement for a while then toss out the foliage and recycle the can. Doesn't the foliage pick up the colors on my mantle?

Sunday, March 8, 2009

I can't help myself. I remodel every house I live in! For some reason I love houses! In studying my family history I have found wonderful houses that my ancestors owned in Pennsylvania (1750) in South Carolina (1600's) and Georgia (1700 & 1800's) so maybe it is in my blood. But instead of the huge mansions of my ancestors, I live in a cottage by the lake. It was built as a summer house in the 1970's. We finished the daylight basement and turned it into a craft room, two bedrooms, bathroom and laundry. When we moved in there was no basement entry from inside the house so I had to go down the outside stairs to get to the washer, trailing laundry as I went.

This is the creek we see from our house. Ducks and geese like that spot and so do the fishermen. The water is beautifully clear in the creek.

Here is the view from our living room door. That is Paws wanting to come in. When the leaves are out, we only see a glimmer of the lake, but we can still see the creek! Spending time in the hammock is one of my favorite activities. My cat, Sylvie, likes to lie in the hammock with me and swing. And she likes to share salty snacks!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Welcome to my first post! I want to share with you my interest of the moment which is gardening. And of course I love to take pictures of my garden!

My husband and I have recently closed our business, Sweetwater Country Home, (in Gordonsville and Luray, VA) where we sold classic county furniture and accessories. Now I have time for other things. After doing lots of work on our house (more on that later), I am turning my attention to the garden. When we moved from our log cabin in Pennsylvania, I left behind the dream garden I had created and the white picket fence I had always wanted. Now I am starting over and trying to create a cottage garden in one growing season! My yard is on a hillside and there are lots of tall trees. Only the center of the front yard gets much sun, so I have two large beds there.

This Virginia is soil is heavy, brick-red clay. It takes lots of digging to loosen the soil and to work in some organic matter. Hefting forty pound bags of cow manure/humus is more entertaining than going to the gym! But it has taken ten bags so far, and more will be needed. My sore muscles could use a rest!